The cost of unscheduled downtime is a problem for almost every industry. In fact, a comprehensive study of manufacturing facilities found an open-circuit event resulted in an average of 41 minutes of downtime, including 11 minutes on average to notify maintenance and 24 minutes on average for troubleshooting. Downtime costs can range from $300,000 to millions of dollars per site per hour. In addition to an idle work force, downtime causes disruption to an integrated supply chain and the loss of scrapped work-in-process, both of which can be very expensive.

That is one of the main reasons the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has recognized the Cooper InVision Downtime-Reduction System as being a product and program that can make a significant impact on its members in the field.

Introduced in spring 2007, the system is a wireless technology for industrial and commercial applications that can help identify open-circuit events caused by short circuits and overloads. In effect, the system minimizes the potential safety risks and also alerts maintenance workers of the correct personal protective equipment to bring to the open-circuit location. For more information, visit www.cooperbussmann.com/invision. EC